Tourism rise a boost to Solihull’s economy

Visitors to Solihull helped generate over £850 million in revenue for the local economy in 2013.

That is the revelation in new figures released by Marketing Birmingham’s research arm the Regional Observatory and tourism research body, Global Tourism Solutions.

The STEAM report, produced annually to assess the economic impact of visitors to the UK’s major cities, also revealed that visitor numbers rose by almost 70,000 to 4.9 million in 2013, helping to boost jobs in the borough.

Employment supported by tourism also rose to more than 9,850 FTEs (full time equivalent jobs) – an increase of five per cent.

Leader of Solihull Council, Councillor Bob Sleigh said: “The latest tourism figures for Solihull are a great boost for the local economy.

“The money generated through tourism brings benefits to both residents and businesses helping to make Solihull a thriving community.

“The borough has so much to offer local visitors, including a vibrant town centre and a great deal of heritage and places of interest and we look forward to welcoming more visitors in the near future.”

Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s Chief Executive and Chairman of Marketing Birmingham, added: “This growth in visitor numbers is great news for Solihull and is evidence that the partnerships we have put in place to promote the region is really paying off.

“As a gateway to the Midlands, Birmingham Airport has a vital role to play in ensuring this trend continues.

“The recent introduction of new routes to European destinations, the planned expansion on existing routes to Delhi and Amritsar and becoming the first UK airport outside of London to welcome a series of direct charter flights from Beijing, are all key departure points for inbound tourists, which is more great news for the region.”

Tourism Minister Helen Grant added: “The tourism industry is making a huge contribution to economic growth and job creation. These fantastic results show the government’s investment in the industry is helping to generate additional tourism spend and creating thousands of new jobs across the country.”

Read more: http://www.solihullobserver.co.uk/2014/08/17/news-Tourism-rise-a-boost-to-Solihull’s-economy-114486.html